OpenSkies, the all-business-class airline and British Airways subsidiary, decided it will suspend its Washington Dulles to Paris Orly service starting Oct. 29, but will offer iPads for in-flight entertainment on its remaining route, Newark to Paris Orly.
OpenSkies, a French flag carrier, is the first offspring of the EU/US Open Skies Agreement, which enables airlines to fly between any EU and US destination.
So, it was curious for OpenSkies, the airline, that is, to talk about its technology investment in iPads for in-flight entertainment while simultaneously announcing that it was suspending one of its two routes because of tough-going in business travel.
“As an airline, OpenSkies is known for its innovation and will continue to invest in new technology and products which give our customers a best-of-class experience in the sky,” says Karin Drylie, OpenSkies product manager. “The introduction of the iPad to our inflight entertainment marks a significant improvement in the experience for customers, using the very latest technology to offer better image quality on a far bigger screen.”
When passengers on the remaining Newark to Paris-Orly route board an OpenSkies flight, they will get to use iPads which come preloaded with 64GB of games, TV programs and films of recent vintage, the airline says.
The iPad also contains a customer guide to inform travelers how to use the Apple tablet.
OpenSkies says it would consider reinstituting the Washington-Dulles to Paris-Orly route if business conditions improve, Air Transport World reports.
OpenSkies all-business-class 757 aircraft have 12 seats in its Biz Bed section, which offers lie-flat seats. And the remaining 72 seats in the 84-seat configuration are Biz Seats, which recline 140 degrees and have 52 inches pitch.
The recent annals of aviation are littered with the failures of all-business class airlines flying between Europe and the US.
For example, Maxjet suspended operations in 2007 and Silverjet went out of business in 2008.
But, all of that was before the invention of the iPad, which hopefully will be a good-luck charm for OpenSkies and its road warrior passengers.